Jeffrey Dean Morgan Says Walking Dead Still Has 'Another Three Years'

This summer, fans of The Walking Dead franchise were surprised and saddened by creator Robert Kirkman’s announcement that the comic book series has officially concluded its run with The Walking Dead #193 serving as the comic series’ final issue. Because of this sudden news, some fans have been wondering if this might also affect the future of the TV series. Speaking with Variety, Jeffey Dean Morgan, who plays the role of fan-favorite villain Negan, was asked about the show’s future, revealing that AMC’s long-running series might still have another three years to rely on the comic book series’ storylines.

“You don’t want to run it into the ground. Me personally, I’d say let’s go out on top. Let’s go out still being the number one show in the world. Whether or not that happens, I don’t know. I think if we just stuck with the comic book, we’ve still got another three years. We do deviate a lot, but I think there’s probably a good three years of material there.” Morgan said.

Showrunner Angela Kang added, “Depending at the pace we go, it could be very fast at the end or it could be very slow. We always fill in with original material. Robert said to me and Scott Gimple, look at all these threads that I set up for you, so the story could go a million different ways.”

The Walking Dead is a story that started 10 years ago with one man trying to find his family. That family grew and gradually communities took shape. They fought and survived, thrived and gave birth to a new generation. It is a tale of humankind and there are more stories to tell.

It is now Spring, a few months after the end of Season 9 when our group of survivors dared to cross into Whisperer territory during the harsh winter. The collected communities are still dealing with the after-effects of Alpha’s horrific display of power, reluctantly respecting the new borderlines being imposed on them, all while organizing themselves into a militia-style fighting force, preparing for a battle that may be unavoidable.

But the Whisperers are a threat unlike any they have ever faced. Backed by a massive horde of the dead it is seemingly a fight they cannot win. The question of what to do and the fear it breeds will infect the communities and give rise to paranoia, propaganda, secret agendas, and infighting that will test them as individuals and as a society. The very idea of whether civilization can survive in a world filled with the dead hangs in the balance.

The Walking Dead stars Norman Reedus, Danai Gurira, Melissa McBride, Cailey Fleming, Josh McDermitt, Christian Serratos, Seth Gilliam, Ross Marquand, Khary Payton, Cooper Andrews, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Avi Nash, Nadia Hilker, Lauren Ridloff, Angel Theory, Dan Fogler, Samantha Morton, and Ryan Hurst. Thora Birch and Kevin Carroll have joined the cast for Season 10.

The series is scheduled to return on Sunday, October 6 at 9 PM ET/8 PM CT